SG-1 vs Black Friday
by Noxbait
Summary: Loose timeline: set a few months prior to SGA episode "Lost Tribe." A bit of holiday fluffery with all the members of SG1 in tow...including the littlest members. :D Happy Thanksgiving everyone! D/V, J/S (of course). Hope you enjoy!


**So this random little story just appeared in my brain this week. Had to set aside NaNoWriMo for a bit to get this done tonight! :) Hope you all enjoy some silly SG-1 fluffery. **

* * *

"Please!"

"No."

"Please."

"No."

"Puh-leeeze!"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because we can't afford it, that's why. You've already spent well over your budget, plus some. Plus a lot, actually. We're going to be broke in this reality and every other one at the rate you're going."

"But darling this is so adorable!"

Daniel lost it and smiled at her, shaking his head as she brandished the thousandth 'adorable' onesie in his face. He pulled it out of her hand, dropped it on the shelf and grabbed her shoulders. "Vala."

"What?" She glared at him, then turned her pout back to the baby outfit.

He pulled her closer, at least as close as he could get her with the twins in the way. He leaned down till their foreheads touched. Staring at her with a smile, he waited. It didn't take long. Daniel could see her start to lose her pout. He loved it when she tried to stay mad at him. It never worked for long. They stared at each other for a moment, the bustle of the busy store forgotten. She was terribly cute.

"So."

"What?" Vala tried to act mad, but she had the hint of a smile on her face now.

"How many baby outfits have you bought today?"

"Good heavens, Daniel! You're going to worry about something like that! Our children need to be clothed! You don't want them running around naked like little hooligans, now do you?"

"No. But only one of them currently _needs_ clothes. And she already has an overabundance of clothes. The other two aren't going to need clothes for another four months."

"Four short months!" She waved a finger at him, "We have to be prepared, we have to plan ahead. And everything is on sale!"

"Ah yes and that is the problem now isn't it?"

"I don't see how paying much less than the retail price is ever a problem, dear."

"It is a problem when you've been shopping since three in the morning and have so many bags that Teal'c told me he already had to take two trips to the van." He shook his head, still against hers, "Vala, the children will be well dressed and we'll be living on the street if you keep spending like this."

"But Daniel it's only once a year!"

"And for that I am profoundly grateful." He looked toward the ceiling, straightening up and pulling her up under his arm. He looked over at the shelf. Sighing, he picked up the blue onesie. It had a little spaceship being flown across a star studded sky by a little green alien. _It was kind of cute_, he had to admit. "Other than Thor was grey not green, it's rather appropriate."

"My thoughts exactly!" She snatched the outfit out of his hand and held it up, grinning. "Little Luke will just look adorable in this."

Daniel groaned, "Vala, for the two thousandth time, we are _not_ naming our children Luke and Leia. And I absolutely do not care if Teal'c thinks those are the only appropriate names for our twins."

Vala chose her battle. "Can I buy it for our little Jackson, yet to be named?"

"Yes." He let her win the battle. It was easier than facing the thought of her naming the twins Luke and Leia.

* * *

Vala grinned and clutched her latest acquisition close to her as they exited the children's store and made their way back out into the insanity that was the mall on Black Friday. Daniel seemed unwilling to move in either direction. Glancing at him, she realized he was wearing the same expression he had always worn whenever they had been in hostile territory with the threat of Ori attack. He looked like he was itching to reach for a zat. She grabbed his arm and dragged him to the right, giggling at his hesitation. She had been more than a little surprised when he'd called just after 1000 and announced that he and the children were all arriving at the mall to join her and Teal'c. That first moment, when he'd walked up to meet them by the coffee shop was a moment she would forever cherish. She and Teal'c had been waiting, coffee in hand, when he'd walked up. With Jasmine asleep in her car seat in the stroller, Daniel had looked ever so cute with little J.J. Simmons clinging to one side of the stroller and Jacob O'Neill on the other side. He had also looked a bit overwhelmed by the melee that was the mall.

Before he could start asking about what damage she'd done, she'd handed him his coffee and quickly given Jasmine a kiss, then passed the stroller to Teal'c. She and Teal'c had everything planned out and worked in tandem to overwhelm Daniel before he could start pestering about how much she'd spent. Once Teal'c was in charge of the stroller and the boys, Vala had dragged Daniel away for more shopping. When she'd asked him why he'd come out when the day before he'd insisted that there was no power on Earth that could drag him to a mall on Black Friday, her heart had warmed at his answer.

_He'd missed her._ She smiled widely, squeezing his arm.

"Vala, where are we going?" He interrupted her thoughts.

"We're going to see Santa."

"Uh, I think we're a bit too old."

"Not _us_ silly!" Vala rolled her eyes and pulled him around a corner. "Teal'c's been in line with the children. He just texted me to tell me they were almost there."

Daniel shook his head and looked at his watch. "Almost there? Didn't they go get in line just after I got here?"

"Well, yes."

"And they're only just getting almost there?"

"It's a long line, dear."

"Obviously." Daniel sidestepped an older couple buying roasted nuts and tried to keep up with Vala who knew her way around the mall. Very well. _Too well_. "How many times have you been through the mall today?"

"Oh probably four times. We left for a bit earlier to hit some of the outlying stores that were also having sales. We had a good battle plan."

"You should have. You two spent most of this week planning it out." Who would have thought that a Jaffa would be so into shopping? Daniel really wasn't looking forward to looking at the receipts from their conquests.

"There they are!" Vala jumped up and down, pointing and pulling on him.

"How do you still have so much energy? You've been up since two am! And you're pregnant!"

"Don't remind me. My ankles are going to be the size of elephant legs by the time I'm done today." She pulled him closer to the line. "Coffee, to answer your question. Lots and lots and lots of coffee."

"Figured." Daniel waved as he caught sight of Teal'c, standing tall above the rest of the kids in line. He had to laugh at the sight of the big Jaffa calmly watching over three children under the age of three. The boys were chasing each other around his legs while Jasmine, who had awakened from her nap, was holding onto a low rail and peering inquisitively at a sparkling light up penguin that was dancing in time with the Christmas music.

Vala hugged his arm. "Isn't that just the cutest sight ever?"

"Yes, just like her mother, attracted to bright shiny things."

She gave him a bump with her hip. "You weren't shiny. Nor particularly bright that first time we met either..."

"Vala."

"Yes, dear?" Vala gave him a bright grin that she knew could get her anything she wanted (and had done so on many occasions).

Daniel just sighed as they joined Teal'c in line, "Never mind."

* * *

"Look, look!" Sam burst out giggling, pulling on Jack's arm to get him to stop. "Let me get my phone. We need a picture of this!"

Jack frowned, trying to figure out what had caught her attention. After a moment of searching, his eyes found the children's play area. Swarming with children, the area was being closely monitored by one very protective Jaffa. He could see Jacob and J.J. on the small slide, obviously having the time of their lives. Just beyond them, he saw Vala flitting around a corner seat. Jack whistled. That was an incredible amount of bags. The floor around the armchair was littered with red, green and gold shopping bags, each overflowing with tissue paper. In the middle of the mess was Daniel, asleep in the armchair with Jasmine nestled on his chest under a pile of coats. Jack smiled as Vala turned and caught sight of them.

"Ooooh! Samantha!" Vala waved and nearly tripped over her bags as she hurried over. "Wait till you see all the wonderful things I found today!"

Sam smiled and gave her a hug. "So you've been having fun?"

"Yes! Muscles and I have been having a simply marvelous time! I think this has been our most profitable expedition ever." She rubbed her hands together, "Are you ready to join me? I have a lot of stuff I wanted to show you before I bought and he's absolutely no fun."

Laughing as Vala pointed over her shoulder at her sleeping husband, Sam nodded and asked her own husband, who had already sat down in the armchair next to Daniel, "Can I go, honey?"

Jack stretched out his legs in front of him as Jacob climbed onto his lap. He waved a hand, "Go. Be gone with you."

Sam smiled, gave them both a kiss and headed off to do some serious shopping with her friend.

Jacob had not stayed long on Jack's lap, more eager to go rejoin J.J. at play. Jack watched the boys playing while Teal'c kept his ever careful vigil. As long as Teal'c was babysitting, none of the kids were going to get into trouble.

"When did you get here?"

Jack turned and saw that Daniel was looking at him. "About five minutes ago."

"Where is Vala?" Daniel asked, trying to look around without moving too much to wake Jasmine.

"Shopping with Sam."

"Can we sleep in your basement when we get evicted? Nothing long term, just till I can find a second job to pay off all the bills."

Jack nodded, pointing at the bags all around them. "She does seem to have been busy."

"You haven't seen anything." Daniel groaned, "Teal'c already made two trips to the van before I got here. What can she possibly be buying now?"

"Having fun?" Jack grinned.

"A blast."

"You're the one who insisted you go. Something about you not wanting to be away from your wife for that long, if memory serves. That newlywed phase. So sweet."

"We've been married nearly two years." Daniel rolled his eyes, "We're not newlyweds."

"Uh huh." Jack smiled, watching as Daniel sat up a bit more and began looking at the colorful bags. He started pulling at the bags; snooping, Jack realized. "Hey. What are you doing? No peeking."

"I paid for it, I can peek if I want to." Daniel shook his head, "Besides, I'm betting that almost all of these bags are for the kids anyway."

Watching Daniel searching through the bags, Jack got the distinct impression there was something in particular that the man was looking for. Jack frowned and looked around, his eyes catching sight of a very familiar and distinctive pink bag from a well-known underwear shop that was half buried under another bag. He smiled when he realized Daniel had noticed it at the same moment. In one swift move, Daniel had grabbed the pink bag and tucked it, rather guiltily, next to his chair.

They met eyes and Jack laughed. "I guess not _everything_ is for the kids, eh?"

"Shut up, Jack."

* * *

"Well there everyone is!" Cameron's voice carried over the crowd gathered in the food court. "Looks like everyone survived. Quick, let me do a head count. Yep. I do believe everyone lived through Black Friday!"

He didn't get a lot of enthusiasm to his greeting, though. The group gathered in the children's play area looked more than a little worse for wear. Teal'c inclined his head, but didn't get any more lively than that, busy as he was trying to console Jasmine who was crying softly. Sam and the General both had a screaming boy in their arms, while Daniel and Vala were a bit further off and apparently having their own issues. He was rubbing her feet, but from what Cam could make out, they were having a heated argument and Vala looked furious. Everyone looked exhausted and overwhelmed. Cam wanted to laugh, but catching the General's expression, thought better of it. Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself and walked into the fray. He'd faced Ori and replicators. _I can handle this_.

"What can I do?"

"Food." Sam said desperately, as J.J.'s head whipped around to look at Cam.

Cam grinned, "I thought that was the plan. Meet for supper was what we planned, right?" He reached out for J.J. when the little boy sniffed and held out his arms for him. "Where are we going? Ribs? Brewery? Pizza?"

"McDonalds." The General said flatly, extending his wallet to Sam. "I don't care what you buy, just buy it and get back here ASAP."

J.J. seemed content in his arms, so Cam just raised his eyebrows at Sam and followed her as she led the way toward the fast food chain. As they braved the still teeming masses of Black Friday shoppers, Cam said, "You've all looked better after a day fighting the Ori. Been a long day, eh?"

Sam smiled wearily. "Well, Teal'c and Vala left just before three this morning like planned. We managed to sleep till almost six before the kids woke up. Cassie dropped J.J. off not long after six on her way to the hospital. It was actually a nice morning. Relaxing, peaceful..."

"But it didn't last."

"Nope. Daniel was antsy all morning. You'd think he'd never been away from Vala for a few hours before. Jasmine was doing better than he was."

"Ah, but Jasmine wasn't worrying about her bank account."

"True." Sam laughed as they got in the very long line. "He finally couldn't take it any more and packed the kids up around 10 to meet Vala and Teal'c here."

"You have got to be kidding me! Jackson came to the mall on Black Friday of his own volition. _And_ he brought the three musketeers?"

"He did. Said he would give Jack and I the day off. Which was also nice. We had a relaxing day and only came out this afternoon, around 1400. But even the idea of shopping was enough to drive Jack crazy so he just crashed here with Daniel.. Daniel was already completely gone by that point. Vala and Teal'c have bought out the stores, Cam. I'm serious. These kids are going to be completely and utterly spoiled."

"As if they aren't already." Cam grinned at J.J. who seemed a bit revived at the thought of food. "So what's got the Princess in a tizzy? She and Jackson looked like they were having one of their fights."

Sam rolled her eyes. "Her legs and feet are killing her. She's got some blisters and that was even after she made Daniel buy her a new pair of shoes. Needless to say, he's a bit irritated."

"Good grief." Cam shook his head, "I can't believe she went through with it this year. You would have thought the twins would have been enough to slow her down a bit."

"Apparently not." Sam smiled. It took another ten minutes for them to reach the counter. Two trips back and forth later, they were all gathered around the play area enjoying their dinner. Sam couldn't help but grin and enjoy the warm fuzzy feeling that overcame her. Despite the varying degrees of exhaustion and frustration, everyone had at last calmed down. They were enjoying the meal while Vala regaled them with stories of her shopping conquests.

"But you know what?" She said dramatically as she reached the end of her current story.

"What?" Cam asked gamely, stealing some of Jackson's fries. The man was too busy making faces at Jasmine who was giggling uncontrollably.

"I think next year I'm going to order everything online."

"You have to be kidding me!"

Cam grinned. Apparently Jackson wasn't quite as oblivious as he seemed.

"We went through all this for nothing?" Daniel asked, letting Jasmine climb down and run over to the boys to play. "You mean we could have done all this online? I didn't have to come to the mall?"

"Yes, dear," Vala patted his knee, "Next year, we'll just be sitting on our couch, cuddling, while I order the presents..."

"Cuddling, eh?" Daniel leaned closer, with a smile. "And we don't have to leave the house?"

Vala put her arms around his neck, "Not unless we wanted to." She started kissing him and Daniel didn't resist even for a moment.

Jack and Sam exchanged grins with Cam at the unexpected display of public affection. Even though he'd been loosening up for years, it was still surprising to see Daniel so at ease in public with Vala. Cameron stole the rest of his fries and shook his head, "I always order online."

Jack shook his head, "Got your shopping all done then, Mitchell?"

"What do you think I was doing all day?"

"So _that_ was why you left early last night?" Sam asked.

"Deals started before midnight, Sam." Cam grinned. "Been up all night."

"We are definitely doing that next year." Daniel said, having finally come up for air.

"It may not be a lot cheaper in the long run, Jackson." Cam warned.

"Oh, I know." Daniel sighed. "I found that out the first time she got ahold of my credit card."

"It's been worth it, though, hasn't it, darling?" Vala whispered.

"Absolutely."

* * *

**Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Hope you enjoyed!**


End file.
